Open Government Week 7-11 May 2018

Message from Elizabeth Tydd, NSW Information Commissioner and Open Data Advocate

As NSW Information Commissioner and NSW Open Data Advocate, I am delighted to acknowledge Open Government Week 2018 (7-11 May).

This global event is an opportunity to raise awareness of, interest in, open government and in doing so transform the way governments serve their citizens.

Open Government Week encourages government and civil society to come together to share ideas, listen to each other, discuss solutions and commit to taking action.

The global Open Government Partnership has voiced a commitment to Open Government, Open Data and information release.

In Australia, we are working to implement the Open Government National Action Plan.

The National Action Plan contains 15 ambitious commitments focused on: transparency and accountability in business; open data and digital transformation; access to government information; integrity in the public sector; and public participation and engagement.

State and Territory Information Access Commissioners and Ombudsmen, led by New South Wales, contributed to the development of the Plan through the inclusion of Commitment 3.2 on information access rights utilisation. Metrics have now been developed and are available on the IPC’s website.

The ultimate aim of this initiative is to ensure that citizens and governments realise the benefits of an effective and contemporary model of Open Government.

I encourage you all to get involved in Open Government Week, attend an event or share your thoughts and ideas at the Open Government Week website.  You can also join the conversation and keep up-to-date with #OpenGovWeek.

In particular, I would like to draw your attention to a webinar being held on Friday 11 May by the Australian Open Government Partnership Civil Society Network. You can register for this free event here.            

Elizabeth Tydd